Elusive
by Mio-san
Summary: When college student Megurine Luka finds her best friend dead in her room at the Niwa Hotel, she launches an investigation with the help of her favorite detective show to find and punish her friend's murderer. But when new developments arise in the Niwa Case, Luka realizes there might be more to this mystery than she thought. Rated T for violence and drama, possible fan-pairing!


_To: Hatsune Miku_

_From: Megurine Luka_

_Subject: Can't wait!_

_Hi, Miku—_

_How long has it been since we've seen each other? I remember when we last saw each other as girls, the day I moved to Tokyo. We said our goodbyes on that old wooden porch—remember we'd always get ice cream and swing our legs over the edge? We were both sad that day, but we didn't cry, because you vowed that you'd save up all your money to come and visit me. How I wished you could come with me! _

_But that's in the past, right? Now, you're finally coming to Tokyo! I wish you could stay with me in my apartment, but as I told you, it's a one-bedroom situation and I think we'd both be cramped anyway. But the Niwa Hotel is the nicest in the area, so I think you'll be fine.__ We can pretend we're princesses in a castle just like we used to! I'm kidding. But still, I'm really excited that you're coming, and I'm so glad that I got to take some time off my classes to spend time with you instead. My art major is going well, by the way—a week ago, we did interpretive color wheels to adjust to the natural shades, and the teacher used mine as an example for the entire class! I know it's silly, like being happy about the ice cream truck, but it means a lot to me. That reminds me—I have a picture I want to show you. I'll bring it with me when I come to visit you._

_Oops—I should probably get studying. But I can't wait to see you, and I hope that Hokkaido is still interesting without me! _

_Love from your best friend Luka 3_

Luka logged off of her email and shut down her computer with a sigh. She leaned back in her chair and gazed around her familiar surroundings—there was the ratty old couch she had bargained for at a garage sale, the TV that was so small you had to lean in to see it clearly, and the plum-colored carpet that she so adored but despaired at its maintaining cost. It wasn't easy, living as a college student in a crowded city, but Luka seemed to manage. The checks from her parents were helping, she thought, as she got up and walked over to the kitchen counter, rifling through the daily mail. But she couldn't live off of them forever.

Naturally, Luka had a part-time job as a clerk at a coffee shop, but lately her major had been getting more and more demanding, and she found herself spending her salary on high-caffeine energy drinks as she studied through the night. A coffeepot was permanently anchored to the counter beside her, currently boiling her favorite brew of espresso as she tossed advertisement after advertisement into the trash. "Coupon!" Luka said out loud as she stashed away a half-price offer at the diner down the street. Checks, a salary, and coupons. Luka's life in a nutshell.

And then there was Miku, of course.

Luka's Apple desktop computer—a graduation gift from her parents—buzzed impatiently from the desk, and she maneuvered around the counter to get back to her desk. Leaning over the tiny desk chair, Luka logged back into her email and checked for new arrivals. There it was—an email titled "Re: Can't wait!" Diving back into her chair, Luka clicked on it and writing filled the screen. _She wrote back fast, _the student thought, scanning the email while mentally running through the reservation at the Niwa Hotel one last time.

_To: Megurine Luka_

_From: Hatsune Miku_

_Subject: Re: Can't wait!_

_Hi Luka!_

_Just confirmed my reservation! The room that you picked looks perfect—I can't believe you remembered that I like the ones with balconies! It's so exciting coming to Tokyo, finally for the first time in—wow, feels like forever! Congrats about your color wheel, I know you're really serious about this art thing. I know what you're going to ask—yeah, I'm still going for my degree in Vocal Music. My parents don't exactly approve, but I think they're kinda warming up to the idea. They just need some time to get used to it, I think. So I'm not worried._

_In other news, guess what? I met a guy! I finally tried that dating website you recommended, and someone asked me out almost immediately! We haven't met in person yet, but it turns out that he lives in Tokyo—pretty close to you, actually—and since I'm coming here, I asked him if we could meet up! HE SAID YES! I'm sooo excited! Maybe you could come with me? Wait, never mind—you're too gorgeous. LOL. _

_Well, anyway, I have to go. Better finish packing for our trip! :D_

_Love you girl! From Miku_

Luka smiled. She couldn't help it. Her friend was sixteen, and while sometimes you could barely tell, her teenage psyche always shone through one way or another. _She's so hopeless, _Luka thought with an affectionate smile, closing down her computer once more. She retreated to the couch and flipped on the television, scrolling aimlessly through channels to pass the time. The sun was setting slowly outside her apartment, and after about an hour of annoyingly dramatic reality programs, Luka got up from where she was stationed on the couch and heated up one of her frozen dinners in the microwave, then took it back to her couch and curled up again. A detective show had started, and Luka picked up the remote to flip past it when something caught her eye. Interested, she leaned closer, and immediately became sucked into the story. It wasn't much, really—following a private investigator trying to find a kidnapping victim—but Luka was riveted. She watched it through to the end and then sat back with a sigh, realizing only a few minutes later that her dinner had become cold. She stuck it in the microwave again and let the advertisements play on the TV behind her while she sat down at her desk and typed in _Private investigator._

28, 600, 000 results popped up, so she clicked on the first link she found and scrolled down, checking out the list of private detectives in the area and their various years of experience. She read the history of several and found that the credentials involved were a lot more complicated than she could have imagined, including state license (how that applied in Japan, she wasn't sure) and a background in law enforcement. "Incredible," Luka murmured, clicking on the next website. After ten minutes, she realized that her meal was getting cold yet again, went back to warm it up yet again, and then set the TV to record all of the next episodes of the detective show—called _Elusive, _respectively.

After finishing her dinner, Luka turned off the TV with a sigh and changed into sweatpants and a tank top with a relaxed sigh. Tomorrow, her best friend was coming to Tokyo, and she needed to get her rest before visiting her. She retreated to her bedroom and read a few pages of one of her textbooks before giving up and turning off the light, too excited by her new discovery. Luka wasn't entirely sure why _Elusive _captivated her so much, but the pure adrenaline of detective work had proved to excite her. _Don't be an idiot and fantasize about a fictional television show, _she scolded herself, but it didn't help.

Luka was "hooked" as they say.

She reached over and turned off the light, then burrowed herself into the covers with a smile. She was feeling good, and if _Elusive _proved to be as exciting as it had started out as, she might just have to introduce Miku to it.

_Miku. I can't wait to see her._

_Until tomorrow, then._

**Hi, everyone! Quick thank-you to Wiki-Answers for the investigator credentials—hehe. I'll be making all my announcements down here from now on, so pay attention, okay? 3 Thanks for reading!**


End file.
